Systems and methods for controlling a single-wire multiswitch device

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a devices and methods related to satellite information broadcasting. An embodiment may relate to a device that includes a plurality of respective tuning channels. The device includes a controller configured to transmit a registration query and receive a registration request from a client device. The registration request may include a client identifier and a tuner quantity. The tuner quantity may indicate the number of tuners associated with the client device. The controller may assign at least one tuning channel to the client device based on the tuner quantity. Furthermore, the controller may transmit a registration confirmation message to the client device. The registration confirmation message may include the respective tuning channel identifier of the at least one assigned tuning channel.

BACKGROUND

Satellite broadcasting of information may involve substantialinfrastructure to deliver signals to terrestrial client devices. Forexample, a plurality of ground-based microwave transmitters may transmitinformation to a plurality of satellites along a communication uplink.The plurality of satellites may be in geostationary orbit in acorresponding plurality of orbital slots. Each satellite may retransmitthe information toward ground locations as one or more satellitetransponder signals via a communication downlink. An outdoor unit (ODU),usually mounted to a building housing the client device, may receive theone or more satellite transponder signals and convert the carrierfrequency of each transponder signal to an intermediate frequency (IF)signal. The client device may send a tuning request to the ODU or anintermediary device, such as a Single-Wire Multiswitch (SWM). The tuningrequest may include a requested transponder. In response, the IF signalor a particular transponder from the IF signal may be delivered to aclient device. Accordingly, a tuner of the client device may then tuneto a particular center frequency of the IF signal or the transpondersignal in order to properly receive a particular channel.

ODUs may be configured to receive a plurality of transponder signalsfrom multiple satellites. Furthermore, the client devices may include aplurality of tuners and/or tuning channels. However, current ODUs maypoll each individual tuner or tuning channel. Namely, each pollingaction may include a waiting time during which the ODU may wait for anew tuning request corresponding to each tuner of the client device.Thus, the time needed to poll all of the tuners has increased with therise of the available number of tuners and tuning channels.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, a device is provided. The device includes a pluralityof frequency conversion modules configured to provide respective tuningchannels with respective tuning channel identifiers and respectivecenter frequencies. The device also includes a multiswitch configured toconnect at least one of a plurality of intermediate frequency (IF)inputs to at least one of the respective tuning channels. The devicefurther includes a controller. The controller includes a processor, amemory, and a communication module. The communication module isconfigured to communicate with one or more client devices via abi-directional communication link. The controller is configured totransmit a registration query via the bi-directional communication link.The controller is also configured to receive a registration request froma client device. The registration request includes a client identifierand a tuner quantity indicative of a number of client tuners associatedwith the respective client device. The controller is further configuredto assign at least one tuning channel to the client device based on thetuner quantity and transmit a registration confirmation message to theclient device. The registration confirmation message includes therespective tuning channel identifier of the at least one assigned tuningchannel.

In a second aspect, a device is provided. The device includes aplurality of frequency conversion modules configured to provide aplurality of respective tuning channels and a multiswitch configured toconnect at least one of a plurality of intermediate frequency (IF)inputs to at least one of the respective tuning channels. The devicealso includes a controller. The controller includes a processor, amemory, and a communication module. The communication module isconfigured to communicate with one or more client devices via abi-directional communication link. The controller is configured totransmit a tuning query via the bi-directional communication link. Thecontroller is further configured to receive a tuning request from aclient device. The tuning request includes a requested transpondersignal. The controller yet further is configured to cause themultiswitch to connect at least one of the plurality of IF inputs to atleast one of the respective tuning channels based on the tuning request.

In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includestransmitting, from a Single-Wire Multiswitch (SWM) device, aregistration query via a bi-directional communication link. The SWMdevice includes a plurality of frequency conversion modules configuredto provide respective tuning channels with respective tuning channelidentifiers and respective center frequencies. The method also includesreceiving a registration request from a client device. The registrationrequest includes a client identifier and a tuner quantity indicative ofa number of client tuners associated with the client device. The methodfurther includes assigning at least one tuning channel to the clientdevice based on the tuner quantity. The method additionally includestransmitting a confirmation message to the client device. Theconfirmation message includes the respective tuning channel identifierof the at least one assigned tuning channel.

Other aspects, embodiments, and implementations will become apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detaileddescription, with reference where appropriate to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a system, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating a low-noise blockdown-converter, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating messaging communications,according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying figures, which form a part hereof. It should be understood,however, that the arrangements described herein are set forth asexamples only. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatother arrangements and elements (e.g., machines, interfaces, functions,orders of functions, etc.) can be used instead or in addition. Further,many of the elements described herein are functional entities that maybe implemented as discrete or distributed components or in conjunctionwith other components, and in any suitable combination and location.Various functions described herein as being performed by one or moreentities may be carried out by hardware, firmware or software logic. Forinstance, various functions described herein may be carried out by aprocessor executing instructions written in any suitable programminglanguage and stored in memory.

In this description, the articles “a” or “an” are used to introduceelements of the example embodiments. The intent of using those articlesis that there is one or more of the elements. The intent of using theconjunction “or” within a described list of at least two terms is toindicate any of the listed terms or any combination of the listed terms.The use of ordinal numbers such as “first,” “second,” “third” and so onis to distinguish respective elements rather than to denote a particularorder of those elements.

I. OVERVIEW

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 100, according toan embodiment. System 100 may relate to a satellite communicationdownlink scenario. For example, one or more satellites 102 may transmita signal 104 in one or more radio frequency (RF) bands, e.g. themicrowave Ka-band (26.5-40 GHz) and/or Ku-band (12.4-18 GHz). The signal104 may additionally or alternatively include other RF bands, e.g.12.2-12.7 GHz and/or 18.3-20.2 GHz. In a scenario with two or moresatellites 102, each satellite 102 may occupy a different geostationaryorbital slot.

The signal 104 may be a media signal that may include video or audiosignals. The signal 104 may also include a television signal. Thecontent of the signal may vary based on the type of signal. For example,the content may include television programming content, program guidedata or other types of data.

In an example embodiment, the signal 104 may include a plurality ofvideo and audio channels transmitted together on a single widebandcarrier, which may be associated with a particular transponder signal.The signal 104 may include one or more transponder signals transmittedfrom a particular satellite 102. The one or more satellites 102 maytransmit the signal 104 toward terrestrial locations on the Earth, suchas an Outdoor Unit (ODU) 110. The ODU 110 may be mounted on a buildingand may include an antenna 112, at least one feed horn 114, at least onelow-noise block down-converter (LNB) 120, and a support arm 116. Theantenna 112, which may include a parabolic dish antenna, may collect anddirect the broadcast signals toward the at least one feed horn 114. Eachof the feed horns 114 may be associated with at least one LNB 120.

The feed horn 114 may be located proximate to a focus of the antenna 112and may be coupled to a waveguide 118. The waveguide 118 may be a hollowmetal pipe with a rectangular or circular cross-section. Alternativelyor additionally, the waveguide 118 may include dielectric materials. Thedimensions of the waveguide 118 may be configured so as to efficientlytransmit the radio frequency signals along its length. The RF signal inthe waveguide 118 and/or feed horn 114 may be coupled to a coaxial cableor another type of electrical connection as an input to the LNB 120.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating an LNB 120, according to anembodiment. The LNB 120 includes an RF amplifier 122, a mixer 124, alocal oscillator 126, a filter 128, and, optionally, anintermediate-frequency (IF) amplifier 130. The RF amplifier 122 may be alow-noise amplifier (LNA) operable to amplify the RF signal fromwaveguide 118 and/or feed horn 114. The mixer 124 may include a circuitconfigured to mix the output of the RF amplifier 122 with a signal,usually a sine wave, from the local oscillator 126. The local oscillator126 may include a dielectric resonator oscillator (DRO). The DRO mayhave a fixed oscillation frequency or a variable oscillation frequency.Other types of local oscillators are contemplated herein, such as aphase-locked loop.

The mixer 124 may be a superheterodyne mixer operable to provide signalsbased on a sum and a difference of the RF signal and the localoscillator frequency, also known as a beat frequency. In someembodiments, the mixer 124 may include multiple frequency conversionstages, e.g. by mixing the RF signal with multiple local oscillators,etc.

The output of the mixer 124 may be provided as an input to the filter128. The filter 128 may be configured to attenuate or remove portions ofthe RF signal and/or the local oscillator signal. The filter 128 may bea digital filter. Accordingly, in this situation, the output of thefilter 128 may include an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. Forexample, the output of filter 128 may include a signal with a frequencyrange of 950 MHz-1450 MHz (L-Band). Alternatively, the output of filter128 may span a different frequency range.

The output of filter 128 may be provided to the IF amplifier 130. The IFamplifier 130 may be configured to amplify signals in a predeterminedrange of frequencies. Frequency down-conversion and the subsequent IFamplification by the LNB 120 may allow the signal to be transmitted viaa wire, a coaxial cable, or a fiber optic cable, as opposed to within ahollow metal waveguide.

In an example embodiment, the LNB 120, or portions thereof, may belocated proximate to the feed horn 114 so as to minimize the length ofthe waveguide 118. For instance, the LNB 120 may be provided on thesupport arm 116. In other embodiments, the LNB 120 may be locatedelsewhere.

In some embodiments, a plurality of feed horns 114 may be provided.Furthermore, each of the plurality of feed horns 114 may have acorresponding LNB 120. Together, the plurality of feed horn/LNB pairsmay be operable to receive signals from multiple satellites ingeosynchronous earth orbit. For example, each feed horn/LNB pair may beconfigured to receive signals from a particular geosynchronoussatellites located at a particular angle with respect to the antenna112. Receiving signals from multiple satellites via a plurality of feedhorns 114 and their respective LNBs 120 may enable an increased datarate and/or enable other features, such as high-definition and/or 4Ktelevision images.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 200, according to anembodiment. System 200 may include a Single-Wire Multiswitch (SWM orSWiM) 210. The SWM 210 may include a multiswitch 212, one or more tuningchannels 220, a combiner 230, an amplifier 250, and a SWM controller260.

In some embodiments, the SWM 210 may include thirteen, twenty-three, ormore tuning channels 220. Each tuning channel 220 may be operable totransmit an IF signal to an in-room device, as described below.

In an example embodiment, the SWM 210 may include an analog to digitalconverter (ADC). In such scenarios, some or all of the functions of theSWM 210 may be performed with a digital signal processing (DSP) chip orintegrated circuit. That is, the SWM 210 may convert signals from analogto digital and thereafter handle or modify the signals in a digitalfashion. Alternatively, some or all of the elements and/or functions ofSWM 210 may be performed with analog devices. In an embodiment, the LNBs120 may be fully or partially incorporated into the SWM 210.Alternatively, the LNBs 120 may be provided separately from the SWM 210.

In an example embodiment, the SWM 210 may receive a plurality of IFsignals from respective LNBs 120 as described above in reference toFIGS. 1A and 1B. The plurality of IF signals may relate to one or morefrequency-downconverted transponder signals from a plurality ofsatellites. Each transponder signal may in turn include signals relatingto a plurality of broadcast channels. Each transponder signal may have arespective transponder center frequency.

Each tuning channel 220 may be switchably coupled to any of the IFsignals from the LNBs 120 via the multiswitch 212. In an exampleembodiment, each tuning channel 220 may be communicatively coupled to aparticular IF signal based on control signals received from the SWMcontroller 260. The tuning channel 220 may be connected to theparticular IF signal via a crossbar switch associated with multiswitch212. Other ways to communicatively couple a tuning channel 220 to agiven IF input are possible.

The tuning channels 220 may be combined via combiner 230 and thecombined signal may be amplified via amplifier 250. The amplified signalmay be transmitted to one or more set top boxes (STB), in-room devices(IRDs), or client devices via a cable and/or one or more wirelesscommunication links.

The SWM controller 260 may include a processor 262, a memory 264, and acommunication module 266. The processor 262 may be a microprocessor of acomputing device, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP),multicore processor, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the processor262 may include multiple computing devices, such as in a distributedcomputing network. Processor 262 may be used to coordinate or controlmultiswitch 212, the tuning channels 220, and any other components ofsystem 200 that may or may not be illustrated in FIG. 2.

The memory 264 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium,for example, such as computer-readable media that stores data for shortperiods of time like solid-state memory, flash drives, register memory,processor cache, and Random Access Memory (RAM). The computer-readablemedium may also or alternatively include non-transitory media, such assecondary or persistent long-term storage, like read only memory (ROM),optical or magnetic disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), forexample. The computer-readable medium may also be any other volatile ornon-volatile storage system. The computer-readable medium may, forexample, be considered a computer-readable storage medium, a tangiblestorage device, and/or memory distributed within a computing network.

Additionally or alternatively, memory 264 may include removable storagedevices, non-removable storage devices, or a combination thereof.Examples of removable storage and non-removable storage devices includemagnetic disk devices such as flexible disk drives and hard-disk drives(HDD), optical disk drives such as compact disk (CD) drives or digitalversatile disk (DVD) drives, solid state drives (SSD), memory cards,smart cards and tape drives to name a few. Computer storage media caninclude volatile and nonvolatile, transitory, non-transitory, removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information, such as computer-readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data.

The communication module 266 may be configured to receive commands froman IRD via a wired or wireless communication link. In an exampleembodiment, the communication module 266 may be operable to receive andtransmit frequency-shift keyed (FSK) messages via the wired or wirelesscommunication link. For example, the FSK messages may be transmitted andreceived via the same cable as that providing the amplified andmodulated transponder signals to the IRD. In an embodiment, digitalsignals may be transmitted and received by the communication module 266and the IRD according to a binary FSK (BFSK) protocol. In such ascenario, the communication link may be bi-directional and may includesignals having a center frequency of 2.3 MHz. Other center frequenciesare possible for the communication link.

The SWM controller 260 may control several aspects of the SWM 210. Forexample, as described above, the SWM controller 260 may be operable tocontrol the multiswitch 212 to communicatively couple various IFinputs/transponder channels to each respective tuning channel 220. Insuch a scenario, the SWM controller 260 may receive a request from aparticular IRD via the communication module 266. The request from theparticular IRD may include a tuning request for one or more particularIF signals. In response, the SWM controller 260 may cause themultiswitch 212 to communicatively couple the corresponding tuningchannels 220 to the particular IF signals in an effort to provide therequested transponder channels to the particular IRD according to thetuning request.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 300, according to anembodiment. System 300 may include an In-Room Device (IRD) 310. The IRD310 may be used for television or other media. As another example, IRD310 may include or be arranged as a landline or cellular telephone,smartphone, personal computer, laptop computer, tablet computer,personal digital assistant (PDA), portable media player, set-top box, atelevision or component of a television, or other computing device nowknown or later developed.

The IRD 310 may receive signals via a wired or wireless communicationlink from the SWM 210, as illustrated and described in reference to FIG.2. The IRD 310 may handle some or all signals from SWM 210 digitally. Assuch, the IRD 310 may include an ADC and/or a DAC. Furthermore, some orall elements of IRD 310 may be included in a DSP chip, although analogembodiments are also contemplated herein.

The IRD 310 may include at least one tuner 312, at least one demodulator314, at least one decoder 316, and at least one output driver 318.Although, a particular configuration of system 300 is illustrated, theconfiguration is merely representative of various possible embodiments.For example, although only one tuner 312, one demodulator 314, and onedecoder 316 are illustrated, multiple tuners, demodulators, or decodersmay be provided within system 300. The components described in referenceto FIG. 3 may be communicatively linked by a system bus, a network, oranother connection.

The display device 340 may include a television, a monitor, or anotherdevice configured to display images. The images may be video, graphics,text, or any variety of other visual representations. In some examples,the display device 340 may include an audio output, such as aloudspeaker, to generate sound waves from media signals received by thedisplay device 340.

Display device 340 may communicate with the output driver 318 tofacilitate communication between IRD 310 and display device 340. In someimplementations, output driver 318 may work in conjunction with agraphics processing unit (not illustrated), which can be configured tocommunicate with display device 340. Output driver 318 can communicatewith display device 340 by a high-definition multiple interface (HDMI)cable, a coaxial cable, some other wired communication link, orwirelessly.

The IRD 310 may additionally include a network interface 322 and an IRDcontroller 330. One or more input devices 350 may communicate with theIRD 310 via a user interface 320. The input devices 350 may include aremote control, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a smartphone, asmartwatch, a tablet, a personal computer, a voice-activated interfaceor another type of computing device. The input devices 350 mayadditionally include hardware and software configured to provide gesturerecognition. The input devices 350 may be operable to directly orindirectly control the IRD 310, the SWM 210, the LNB 120, and/or othersystems described herein. For example, a channel guide may be providedto a user via the user interface 320 and display device 340. In such ascenario, the user may use the input device 350 to select a requestedchannel.

In an example embodiment, the input device 350 may send a message to theIRD 310 via the user interface 320 and/or the communication module 336.The message may include a requested channel. In response to receiving amessage with the requested channel, the IRD controller 330 may adjustone or more tuners 312 to provide the requested channel via the displaydevice 340. Additionally or alternatively, the IRD controller 330 maytransmit a tuning request to the SWM 210 via the communication module336 according to the FSK protocol described above. Accordingly, in sucha situation, the SWM controller 260 may adjust the multiswitch 212and/or one or more tuning channels 220 so as to provide the IRD 310 withan IF signal corresponding to the requested channel.

The one or more input device 350 may also control one or more of thedisplay devices 340. For instance, the input device 350 may be auniversal remote configured to control various functions of the displaydevices 340 and other peripherals, e.g. CD/DVD/BD player, audio/videoreceiver, a media library, etc.

The network interface 322 may be operable to communicatively connectwith a network 360. The network interface 322 may be a WiFi, WiMax,WiMax mobile, data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS),wireless, cellular, or other types of interfaces. Moreover, networkinterface 322 may use a variety of protocols for communicating via thenetwork 360. For instance, network interface 322 may communicate usingEthernet, a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), ahypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), or some other protocol.

The IRD controller 330 may include a processor 332, a memory 334, and acommunication module 336. Similar to the SWM controller 260, the IRDcontroller 330 may be a computing device with one or more processors332. The IRD controller 320 may be configured to control various aspectsof the IRD 310. For example, the IRD controller 320 may cause the tuner312 to tune a signal from the SWM 210 in an effort to provide apreviously requested channel via the display devices 340.

II. EXAMPLE SYSTEMS

Example systems described herein may relate to any or all of system 100,system 200, and/or system 300 illustrated and described in reference toFIGS. 1A-B, 2, and 3. The embodiments described herein may allow areduction in system tuning time by reducing a polling interval. Forinstance, the SWM may only send one tuning query per IRD, as opposed toone tuning query per tuner of the IRD. Furthermore, the embodimentsdescribed herein may support tuning requests that include multipletransponder requests. Such requests may be necessary for 4K bondedtransponder programming.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram 400 illustrating messaging communications,according to an embodiment. As illustrated in diagram 400, thecommunication module 266 of the SWM controller 260 may be configured tocommunicate with one or more client devices via a bi-directionalcommunication link. The bi-directional communication link could be awired or wireless communication link. For instance, the bi-directionalcommunication link may include message transfer according to an FSKprotocol.

In an example embodiment, the communication module 266 of SWM controller260 may transmit a registration query 402 as a FSK message via thebi-directional communication link. The SWM controller 260 may send outsuch registration queries 402 via a polling process. That is, the SWMcontroller 260 may poll each previously registered device for new tuningrequests or other information. Thereafter, the SWM controller 260 maysend out a broadcast message offering new device registrations. Inresponse, a previously-unregistered client device may attempt toregister with the SWM 210.

The SWM controller 260 may be further configured to receive aregistration request 404 from the previously-unregistered client device.The registration request 404 may include a client identifier and a tunerquantity. The client identifier may be a serial number or anotheridentifier for the specific IRD 310 sending the registration request404. The tuner quantity may represent a number of client tunersassociated with the respective client device. Client tuners may besimilar to tuner 312 described and illustrated in reference to FIG. 3.In other words, the previously-unregistered client device, or IRD 310,may, in response to the registration query, respond with a request toregister X tuners where X is the number of available tuners on the IRD310.

In response to receiving the registration request, the SWM controller260 may assign at least one tuning channel to the client device based onthe tuner quantity. The SWM controller 260 may also be configured totransmit a registration confirmation message 406 to the client device.As an example, the registration confirmation message 406 may include therespective tuning channel identifier of the at least one assigned tuningchannel.

Optionally, the SWM controller 260 is also configured to transmit atuning query 410 via the bi-directional communication link. For example,the SWM controller 260 may poll previously-registered IRDs 310 todetermine whether any current tuning requests exist.

For instance, the SWM controller 260 may access a registration list thatincludes at least one previously-registered client device. As such, theSWM controller 260 may transmit one tuning query for eachpreviously-registered client device.

In response, the one or more previously-registered IRDs 310 may respondby sending a tuning request 414. The tuning request 414 may include arequested transponder signal. For example, a user may have requested aparticular channel from a channel guide or by entering the channel viaan input device 350 of a requesting IRD, as illustrated by channelrequest 412 in FIG. 4. The requesting IRD, which may be IRD 310, mayaccess a channel look-up table that relates specific channels to one ormore transponder signals. Accordingly, the communication module 336 ofthe IRD controller 330 may transmit a tuning request 414 with thecorresponding requested transponder to the SWM 210.

In response to the tuning request 414, the SWM controller 260 may beconfigured to cause the multiswitch 212 to connect at least one of theIF inputs from LNB 120 to at least one previously assigned tuningchannel 220 based on the tuning request 414. For example, SWM controller260 may receive a requested IF signal 416 based on tuning request 414.The SWM controller 260 may send switching command 418, which may causethe multiswitch 212 to connect at least one of the IF inputscorresponding to the requested IF signal 416 to at least one of thepreviously assigned tuning channels 220.

In some scenarios, the tuning request 414 may include a plurality of IFsignals. For example, an IRD 310 may request three, four, or more IFsignals in the same tuning request. In such a scenario, the requested IFsignals may correspond to a 4K bonded transponder transmission. Othertypes of audio and/or visual broadcasts or data transmissions may bepossible over multiple IF signals, e.g. bonded transponders. Thus, asillustrated, switching command 418 may cause the multiswitch 212 tocommunicatively couple a plurality of tuning channels 220 to one or moreIF signals in a substantially simultaneous fashion. As such, thedescribed system may reduce the time to tune to a plurality of bondedtransponder signals.

By the term “substantially” it is meant that the recited characteristic,parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations orvariations, including for example, timing, tolerances, measurementerror, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to skillin the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect thecharacteristic was intended to provide. Thus, in this context,substantially simultaneously may include switching a plurality of tuningchannels to their respective IF signals within 100 ms or less.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, in response to a tuning requestthat includes four different requested transponder signals, the SWMcontroller 260 may be operable to cause the multiswitch 212 to connectone or more IF signals to four previously-assigned tuning channels basedon the tuning request, via four switching commands 418. Furthermore, theswitching process may be conducted substantially simultaneously for thefour tuning channels such that the tuning channels may becommunicatively coupled to their respective IF signals within 100milliseconds. Other time periods are possible.

III. EXAMPLE METHODS

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500, according to an embodiment. The methodmay include various blocks or steps. The blocks or steps may be carriedout individually or in combination. The blocks or steps may be carriedout in any order and/or in series or in parallel. Further, blocks orsteps may be omitted or added to method 500.

The blocks of method 500 may be carried out by system 200 as illustratedand described in reference to FIG. 2, however other elements may be usedto carry out method 500, such as those in system 100 and system 300 fromFIGS. 1 and 3. Furthermore, blocks of method 500 may be carried outfully, or in part, utilizing the messaging communications as illustratedand described in reference to FIG. 4.

Block 502 includes transmitting, from a Single-Wire Multiswitch (SWM)device, a registration query via a bi-directional communication link.The SWM device may be similar or identical to SWM 210. As such, the SWMdevice may include a plurality of frequency conversion modulesconfigured to provide respective tuning channels with respective tuningchannel identifiers. The SWM device may optionally include a multiswitchconfigured to connect at least one of a plurality of intermediatefrequency (IF) inputs to at least one of the respective tuning channels.Each of the plurality of IF inputs may correspond to one or morerespective transponder signals.

Block 504 includes receiving a registration request from a clientdevice. Namely, the registration request includes a client identifierand a tuner quantity indicative of a number of client tuners associatedwith the client device. That is, a client device, such as IRD 310 mayhave four tuners 312. Accordingly, the registration request may includea client identifier specific to IRD 310 and a tuner quantity of four.Other tuner quantities are possible.

Block 506 includes assigning at least one tuning channel to the clientdevice based on the tuner quantity. In the above-mentioned example,where the tuner quantity is four, the SWM controller 260 may assign fourtuning channels 220 to the IRD 310 associated with the specific clientidentifier from the registration request. In some cases, the SWMcontroller 260 may not be able to assign the full amount of tuningchannels as provided in the tuner quantity. For example, the SWM may nothave enough available tuning channels.

Block 508 includes transmitting a confirmation message to the clientdevice. The confirmation message may include the respective tuningchannel identifier of the at least one assigned tuning channel. That is,the confirmation message may be transmitted via the bi-directionalcommunication link according to an FSK encoding scheme. The confirmationmessage may include information indicative of the number of tuningchannels assigned to the specific IRD, as well as the respective centerfrequencies, other identification, and/or encryption keys, etc.

Method 500 may optionally include other steps or blocks. For example,block 510 may include transmitting, from the SWM device, a tuning queryvia the bi-directional communication link. That is, as described above,the SWM device may poll registered devices to determine whether anyregistered client device is currently requesting a new tuning settingand/or a new transponder. The SWM device may poll previously-registeredclient devices based on a registration list. Thus, the SWM device may beoperable to poll once for each previously-registered client device,rather than once for each tuner or tuning channel.

In response to the tuning query, a registered client device may transmita tuning request to the SWM device. Accordingly, method 500 mayoptionally include block 512 wherein the SWM device may receive thetuning request from the client device. The tuning request may include arequested IF signal or a requested transponder signal.

Block 514 may optionally include causing the multiswitch to connect atleast one of the plurality of IF inputs to at least one of the pluralityof tuning channels based on the tuning request. In other words, the SWMcontroller 260 may cause the multiswitch 212 to electrically-connect theproper IF input from an LNB 120 to one or more tuning channels 220.

As described above, the tuning request may include a plurality ofrequested IF signals. That is, a client device may request a pluralityof requested IF signals and/or requested transponder signals, which mayin turn correspond to a 4K bonded transponder transmission. In such ascenario, the SWM controller 260 may be operable to cause themultiswitch 212 to substantially simultaneously communicatively couplethe plurality of requested IF signals to the plurality of tuningchannels 220.

IV. CONCLUSION

The particular arrangements shown in the Figures should not be viewed aslimiting. It should be understood that other embodiments may includemore or less of each element shown in a given Figure. Further, some ofthe illustrated elements may be combined or omitted. Yet further, anillustrative embodiment may include elements that are not illustrated inthe Figures.

While various examples and embodiments have been disclosed, otherexamples and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.The various disclosed examples and embodiments are for purposes ofillustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scopebeing indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a plurality of frequencyconversion modules providing respective tuning channels with respectivetuning channel identifiers and respective center frequencies; and acontroller comprising: a processing system including a processor; acommunication module, wherein the communication module communicates withone or more client devices via a bi-directional communication link; amemory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:transmitting registration query from the communication module to the oneor more client devices via the bi-directional communication link;receiving a registration request from a client device of the one or moreclient devices, wherein the registration request comprises a clientidentifier and a tuner quantity indicative of a number of client tunersassociated with the client device; transmitting a first tuning query toa previously registered client device; receiving a first tuning requestfrom the previously registered client device wherein the first tuningrequest includes a request for a plurality of media content channels anda number of available tuners on the previously registered client device;assigning a plurality of tuning channels to the client device accordingto the plurality of media content channels and the number of availabletuners resulting in an assigned plurality of tuning channels;transmitting a registration confirmation message to the client device,wherein the registration confirmation message comprises a respectiveplurality of tuning channel identifiers of the assigned plurality oftuning channels; switching a multi-switch to obtain a plurality ofintermediate frequency (IF) signals according to the plurality of mediacontent channels, wherein the plurality of IF signals is obtained withina predetermined time threshold; and providing the plurality of IFsignals to the previously registered client device.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: transmitting a secondtuning query via the bi-directional communication link to the clientdevice; receiving a second tuning request from the client device,wherein the second tuning request comprises a requested transpondersignal; and causing the multi-switch to connect at least one of theplurality of IF inputs to the assigned plurality of tuning channelsbased on the second tuning request.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein theoperations further comprise obtaining a registration list, wherein theregistration list comprises the previously registered client device. 4.The device of claim 2, wherein the second tuning request comprises aplurality of requested transponder signals.
 5. The device of claim 4further comprising an output driver, wherein the operations furthercomprise causing the output driver to provide the plurality of requestedtransponder signals to the client device via the bi-directionalcommunication link, wherein the plurality of requested transpondersignals corresponds to a 4K bonded transponder transmission.
 6. Thedevice of claim 4 further comprising an output driver, wherein theoperations further comprise causing the output driver to provide theplurality of requested transponder signals to the client device via thebi-directional communication link, wherein the plurality of requestedtransponder signals corresponds to a multiple transponder transmission.7. The device of claim 4 wherein the operations further comprise causingof the number of available tuners corresponding to assigned plurality oftuning channels to tune simultaneously to the plurality of requestedtransponder signals.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein thebi-directional communication link comprises signals having a centerfrequency of 2.3 MHz and wherein the signals are transmitted andreceived according to a frequency shift keyed (FSK) communicationprotocol.
 9. A device comprising: a plurality of frequency conversionmodules; a multi-switch; a processing system including a processor; acommunication module, wherein the communication module communicates withone or more client devices via a bi-directional communication link; amemory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:transmitting a first tuning query from the communication module via thebi-directional communication link to a client device; receiving a firsttuning request from the client device, wherein the first tuning requestcomprises a requested transponder signal; transmitting a second tuningquery to a previously registered client device; receiving a secondtuning request from the previously registered client device, wherein thefirst tuning request includes a request for a plurality of media contentchannels and a number of available tuners on the previously registeredclient device; and causing the multi-switch to connect a plurality ofintermediate frequency (IF) signals according to the plurality of mediacontent channels, wherein the plurality of IF signals is obtained withina predetermined time threshold.
 10. The device of claim 9 wherein theoperations further comprise obtaining a registration list, wherein theregistration list comprises the previously registered client device. 11.The device of claim 9, wherein the first tuning request comprises aplurality of requested transponder signals.
 12. The device of claim 11wherein the operations further comprise simultaneously connecting aplurality of IF inputs corresponding to the plurality of requestedtransponder signals to assigned plurality of tuning channels.
 13. Thedevice of claim 9, wherein the bi-directional communication linkcomprises signals having a center frequency of 2.3 MHz, wherein thesignals are transmitted and received according to a frequency-shiftkeyed (FSK) communication protocol.
 14. A method comprising:transmitting, by a Single-Wire Multi-switch (SWM) device including aprocessor, a registration query via a bi-directional communication link,wherein the SWM device comprises a plurality of frequency conversionmodules; receiving, by the SWM device, a registration request from aclient device, wherein the registration request comprises a clientidentifier and a tuner quantity indicative of a number of client tunersassociated with the client device; transmitting, by the SWM device, afirst tuning query to a previously registered client device; receiving,by the SWM device, a first tuning request from the previously registeredclient device, wherein the first tuning request includes a request for aplurality of media content channels and a number of available tuners onthe previously registered client device; assigning, by the SWM device, aplurality of tuning channels to the client device according to theplurality of media content channels and the number of available tuners;transmitting, by the SWM device, a confirmation message to the clientdevice, wherein the confirmation message comprises a respective tuningchannel identifier; switching, by the SWM device, to obtain a pluralityof intermediate frequency (IF) signals according to the plurality ofmedia content channels, wherein the plurality of IF signals is obtainedwithin a predetermined time threshold; and providing, by the SWM device,the plurality of IF signals to the previously registered client device.15. The method of claim 14, wherein the SWM device further comprises amulti-switch, wherein each of the plurality of IF inputs corresponds toone or more respective transponder signals, and the method furthercomprising: transmitting, by the SWM device, a second tuning query viathe bi-directional communication link; receiving, by the SWM device, asecond tuning request from the client device, wherein the second tuningrequest comprises a requested transponder signal; and causing, by theSWM device, the multi-switch to connect at least one of the plurality ofIF inputs to assigned plurality of tuning channels based on the secondtuning request.
 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising obtaininga registration list, wherein the registration list comprises at leastone previously-registered client device.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein the second tuning request comprises a plurality of requestedtransponder signals.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the SWM devicefurther comprises an output driver, wherein the method further comprisesproviding, by the SWM device, the plurality of requested transpondersignals to the client device via the bi-directional communication linkand wherein the plurality of requested transponder signals correspondsto a 4K bonded transponder transmission.
 19. The method of claim 17further comprising simultaneously connecting, by the SWM device, aplurality of IF inputs corresponding to the plurality of requestedtransponder signals to the assigned plurality of tuning channels. 20.The method of claim 14, wherein the bi-directional communication linkcomprises signals having a center frequency of 2.3 MHz, wherein thesignals are transmitted and received according to a frequency-shiftkeyed (FSK) communication protocol.